Megan Mansfield-Pryor Green Party win as City Council for Bath, ME.
Megan Mansfield-Pryor Green Party win as City Council for Bath, ME.
https://www.gpelections.org/greens-in-office/
What inspired you to pursue a position on the City Council, and how do you envision utilizing this role to serve the community of Bath, ME?
I have been involved with, and then stepped up to officially serve (when a vacancy arose) on my community’s Solid Waste Advisory Committee for a few years now, and have really enjoyed it. When it came to running for Council, the idea initially came from friends and neighbors who encouraged me to run. But once the seed had been planted, it grew - I did a lot of research, talked to many of our current Councilors to learn about the expectations and responsibilities, and talked it over with my family. I came away very motivated to serve, because I love living here and want to do my part to help our community manage the growth we’re seeing in a way that doesn’t leave people out. If my family and I hadn’t moved here when we did, we wouldn’t have been able to afford to live here. We have a fantastic resource in Bath Housing Authority, but the current housing situation poses complex issues, perhaps beyond the scope of what any one organization can deal with. Right now, it is difficult for people below a certain income bracket to find housing in Bath, and that kind of cost barrier can really change the feel of a community over time. So one of my goals serving on Council is to help Bath make decisions that align with LD 2003 and our climate and sustainability goals by densifying housing in the urban areas and building out affordable housing that is connected to water and sewer and what public transportation we have. Other goals include helping us reduce waste, particularly organics, and preserve the life of our landfill, improve broadband coverage, and ideally, get us more connected to regional public transport options. One of the great things about Bath is the range of people who are part of the community. We don’t want to lose that. I also feel strongly that public service is important, as is having people with different backgrounds and perspectives on decision-making bodies like the City Council.
Given your background as a Waste Management Climate Policy Advisor, how do you believe this expertise could benefit Bath's City Council in addressing environmental concerns and shaping policies?
First, I should note that I am very new to the role of Waste Management Climate Policy Advisor, having transitioned to GOPIF after working as an Environmental Specialist with Maine DEP since 2016. That said, as an agency with broad-reaching goals including fighting hunger, affordable housing, support for aging residents and children, jobs, and community resilience and climate mitigation and adaptation, I do think that my work background will allow me to be a greater resource for Bath in our own initiatives. Bath has an impressive comprehensive plan and climate plan, and being tied into what’s happening at the state level around community planning, resilience, and climate work will be useful when it comes time for Bath’s City Council to weigh in on initiatives and projects that align with these plans, in addition to working with staff and residents on various committees focused on project implementation.
What specific initiatives or policies do you aim to introduce or advocate for as a City Council member to enhance sustainability and waste management practices within Bath?
I would take a collaborative approach to ensure that any policies align with community needs, but I’m particularly interested in tackling removal of food in the waste stream and working with businesses to reduce unnecessary waste, such as through an “offer only” or “upon request” policy for single-use food service items that would both save businesses money and reduce waste. I also hope to support or introduce policies in the future that take building material resources into consideration, such as adaptive reuse and factoring in embodied carbon to ensure we make the most of the buildings and building materials already available rather than demolishing buildings to build new ones, where feasible.
How do you plan to balance the diverse needs of the community while promoting environmentally conscious decisions in the policymaking process?
By recognizing that people have different living situations, values, and economic considerations so that any program or initiative must factor in how easy it is to participate, whether it has an economic impact at the household level, and perhaps most importantly, how receptive people are to a potential new program or policy.
Could you outline your approach to fostering collaboration between the City Council, local businesses, and residents to implement sustainable practices and policies in Bath?
This process is all new to me, as being part of the Solid Waste Advisory Committee as a citizen was a very different role from serving on Council, so I’m not sure I have a firmly developed approach but I will certainly always be open to hearing what people think, what their ideas are, what their feedback is on proposed policies, etc. City Council members serve on various committees and several of these work closely with the businesses in downtown Bath, so there is already an open pathway for communication in place there, which I will learn more about as I delve into Council work.
Considering your experience in waste management and climate policy, what strategies do you believe could enhance Bath's resilience to environmental challenges, particularly in waste reduction and resource management?
Adaptive reuse of existing buildings is one example, as well as continuing to support the community repair cafes that provide a pathway for residents to fix their personal belongings and keep them in use longer, which prevents the purchase of new items to replace them, conserving resources and reducing waste. Any program that helps us reduce waste and prolong the life of our landfill will be a benefit in the long run, as exporting waste once the landfill closes will be a cost to the community.
In what ways do you foresee engaging citizens to actively participate in shaping policies related to environmental sustainability and waste management within Bath?
Again, this is all new to me, so I have a learning curve in terms of best practices or even accepted practices when it comes to citizen engagement as a City Councilor at this point. I understand that public engagement can be particularly tough when it comes to reaching a wide demographic and not everyone has the bandwidth to follow along with what’s happening with local policies until they’re passed. That said, before any policies are passed that would have a wide impact, I would ideally like to find a way to reach people from as many diverse groups as possible to talk with them directly and get feedback on the potential policy.
Are there specific areas where you see opportunities for partnerships or collaborations with neighboring municipalities to amplify Bath's efforts toward sustainable development and waste reduction?
Yes, we already have one great example with a repair cafe that rotates back and forth between Brunswick and Bath. These kinds of small community events actually have a significant environmental benefit by keeping goods in use longer, as I mentioned above.
How do you plan to ensure accountability and measure the effectiveness of policies implemented by the City Council in promoting a sustainable and environmentally friendly community?
I would take responsibility for the results of any decisions that I take part in making, regardless of whether they turn out as intended, and work to ensure any issues are resolved if they crop up in the implementation or after a policy is enacted.
I think I would determine the effectiveness by measuring whether a policy had its intended effect and whether it also had unintended negative consequences. For a specific example, if a policy is passed to require restaurants to offer single-use items rather than automatically provide them, it would be important to check in with businesses over time and have a way for residents to comment (anonymously if they prefer) on how they feel the policy is working. One concern would be to make sure people who are differently abled don’t feel targeted by such a policy, so it would be important to track any comments related to inequity there.
Given the evolving landscape of environmental issues, how do you intend to stay informed about emerging technologies, best practices, and policy innovations to continually improve Bath's sustainability efforts as a City Council member?
Working in state government has taught me the importance of collaboration, so I plan to continue to do what I do now, which is gather information whenever and wherever possible, following various news outlets specific to waste and climate, participating in work groups, and talking to people in the industry to ensure we are considering changes in technology and best practices as they become developed and feasible for implementation here in Bath.